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Ash may hover for days over uncertain Europe

PARIS – The Icelandic volcano that has kept much of Europe land-bound is far from finished spitting out its grit, and offered up new mini-eruptions Saturday that raise concerns about longer-term damage to world air travel and trade.

Facing days to come under the volcano's unpredictable, ashy plume, Europeans are looking at temporary airport layoffs and getting creative with flight patterns to try to weather this extraordinary event.

What do you think of this?

It's grounded flights for days. I've heard it may also aggravate many medical conditions such as asthma.

The whole situation sucks. I'm worried about the people who don't have money to get back home. I mean, sure, most people will have access to a bank account, but there are always wayward travelers who don't plan correctly.

I wonder what it will do to the crops. If they are already out, will this damage them? If they aren't out yet, will the farmers be able to put them out, and will they grow the way they are supposed to?

In Europe, there is a dense network of surface transportation, so within the continent people will be able to get around , it will just take a little longer . But with all countries, except 4, currently affected, it could mean real hardship for people who have to fly from there to get to homes on other continents. At present, the ash isn't seen as much of a health risk but this could change.

When the ash starts to fall, it will cause more illness in people, especially silicosis and other lung diseases. Also risk to farm animals and crops. Quoted from a news article:

In Iceland, winds dragged the ashes over new farmland, to the southwest of the glacier, causing farmers to scramble to secure their cattle and board up windows.

With the sky blackened out and the wind driving a fine, sticky dust, dairy farmer Berglind Hilmarsdottir teamed up with neighbors to round her animals and get them to shelter. The ash is toxic -- the fluoride causes long-term bone damage that makes teeth fall out and bones break.